The World’s Oldest Scotch Whisky Is Heading to Auction

The whisky was distilled nearly 200 years ago

Blair Castle
Scotland's Blair Castle.
Getty Images

Perthshire’s Blair Castle has a long history — and, as it turns out, that history also includes a hidden trove of very historic whisky. How historic, you might ask? “Distilled nearly 200 years ago and potentially sampled by Queen Victoria” historic, apparently. And if the idea of owning some whisky deemed fit for royalty sounds intriguing to you, well, you might be in luck this fall.

Last year, Blair Castle Resident Trustee Bertie Troughton discovered a cache of 40 whisky bottles in the castle’s cellar. As per Whisky Auctioneer’s announcement of the pending sale, the whisky was likely distilled in 1833 and bottled eight years later, then rebottled in 1932.

As VinePair’s Olivia White reports, two dozen of those bottles are now set to be sold at auction in November.

Whisky Auctioneer’s Head Curator Joe Wilson pointed out that this Scotch is of historical value for a number of reasons. “Distilled in the 1830s, the whisky was made during a fascinating period when whisky production was experiencing massive change following the 1823 Excise Act, making it a particularly exciting find for those interested in the history and heritage of the Scotch whisky industry,” he said in a statement.

This Might Be a Record-Setting Scotch Whisky Auction
The upcoming Distillers One of One event has one bottle going for $650,000

The auction is set to begin on November 24, and will run through December 4. Whisky Auctioneer has a form on its website where interested parties can sign up for more information on the sale.

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